Not so good things about HL2:E1.

[VIAN]

I was reading July's version of PC Gamer magazine and they had a few answered questions, and although they say they had fun (this is only just a hands-on of E1 (Episode 1)), some of the things mentioned did scare me, especially since I already bought the game.

-E1 only answers the question of what happened at the end of HL2, but doesn't answer any of the other questions like:

"Why and how Gordon is being manipulated by the G-man; why Vortigaunts are helping the resistance; what happened to the world between HL and HL2; and the Combine's agenda... at least it poses very few new ones"

-The plot is to infiltrate the citadel again and destroy it completely. Doesn't sound like much fun, but we'll see. While Gordon and Alyx do this, resistance troops evacuate the city.

-E1 contains a new enemy which is a combine with a headcrab wielding dynamite sticks kamakazi style (probably not similar to Serious Sam).

-The gravity gun plays another big role in this game, especially with puzzles. But the puzzles are super similar to HL2.

-E1 is about 5 hours to complete. At least there are no driving sequences this time around to fill up that time.

-It is more linear than HL2 - that scares me. I thought HL2 was the most linear game I've ever played, and that it couldn't possibly get any more linear - I was wrong.

 

[rudder]

There were puzzles in Hlaf life 2?

Here is a timeline of what happens in the half life saga.

 

[MX2]

You post alot of negative things about games that turn out to be good

 

[mezrah]

Well they're not going to answer every question under the sun in the first episode, otherwise, what would be the point of carrying on with future episodes?

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: VIAN
I was reading July's version of PC Gamer magazine . . .

Heck with PC gamer . . .

. . . i am waiting for your review.
:Q



i am a HL2 fan . . . [sorta] . . . it will take a lot for me to not buy EP1
[and i am "done" with that Othergame].

Personally, i think it will be good [if you like HL2] . . . too much is riding on this Episode for Valve to screw up.
[i hope]

 

[VIAN]

Originally posted by: rudder
There were puzzles in Hlaf life 2?

Here is a timeline of what happens in the half life saga.

But isn't that just speculation.

Originally posted by: MX2times
You post alot of negative things about games that turn out to be good

Which ones?

Originally posted by: mezrah
Well they're not going to answer every question under the sun in the first episode, otherwise, what would be the point of carrying on with future episodes?

Well, the point is that they don't answer any questions. They're only answering the questions that keep the story continuing a.k.a. making them money.



...years later...



"VGU's 10 Year Anniversary 2024

When it's release back in 2004, Valve Software's started a business model that conned people into thinking they were going to get answers that Valve didn't plan on giving. It started with that year's blockbuster Half-Life2 and continued with the sequel, Episode 1. After years of episodes with no answers, people began to riot. In 2012, Valve's headquarters was swarmed by a mob demanding their money back. Refusal turned disasterous. The end of Valve was signaled by the collapse of the entire building. Hundreds of arrests were made, but the leader, who calls himself the G-man, similar to one of the characters in the game, is yet to be found. Because of these events, the VGU (Video Gamer's Union) was formed in 2014 and created laws to protect the people's interests."

 

[MX2]

Originally posted by: VIAN

Originally posted by: MX2times
You post alot of negative things about games that turn out to be good

Which ones?

Text

Text

 

[VIAN]

Originally posted by: MX2times

Originally posted by: VIAN

Originally posted by: MX2times
You post alot of negative things about games that turn out to be good

Which ones?

Text

Text

Just because games are good doesn't mean that they don't have negative things. First of all in Condemned, I noted that the reasons I didn't like the game was because it was too similar to FEAR and there were no guns. I said that "I" didn't like that. Hence, it looks bad to me.

I never said Tomb Raider Legends was bad. It says, "I'm interested in it. I'll wait for a review before making my final decision. " And I did buy it. Just yesterday. I gave it my critisims, but that doesn't mean the game is bad.

 

[MX2]

Relax, it was just something I noted. Games you dont like, I will always buy

Condemned and Legends brought a breath of freshly needed air into my gaming on pretty much every level. However, thats just my opinion

 

[skace]

I don't think it's surprising that very little is answered in a single episode. How many of the HL1 questions were answered by HL2? 0? And HL2 was a completely new game. There is a lot of speculation of where Half-Life will go in the future, but I think the next big jump in story developement will be saved for HL3 because it will be rather significant.

 

[Regs]

5 hours for 20 dollars (-10% if you get it now) isn't that bad. Considering that is a medium or an average to complete.

It is more linear than HL2 - that scares me. I thought HL2 was the most linear game I've ever played, and that it couldn't possibly get any more linear - I was wrong.

Well yeah, It's one ep. Although I agree on many arguments you've made in the past on the forums about ep's for games, this one however makes sense to be linear.

As for the story of HL2 -- I don't think this damn game will ever be explained. I take the story at face value. HL2's story is neither planned or articulated in anyway. It's purely abstracted to deepen the pockets of the creators and to stretch the series life span as much as possible. Can't blame them either. There are others that fit the same category: Resident Evil, Command and Conquer, Metal Gear Solid. Unlike HL2 though, most of those games pretty much have the story layed out for you in detail. Just seems like the more the game reveils the more the story becomes corny . So I figure HL2's philosophy is -- "the less we share, the less chance the story can play as a negative role. Buy me! "

 

[Noema]

Meh, I don't play games for their stories. If I want a good story I will read Dostoievski, or Borges.

HL2 has a more intriguing story than your average run of the mill FPS(I like, for example, that you never see the combine), and it has a more unique atmosphere. But it's still a game created by many different people at different periods of time, so I don't expect it to make too much sense or to answer all of its questions. I like HL2 because of its great sense of style, great graphics and fantastic gameplay and physics.

EP1 is already sitting in my hard disk and I'm really looking forward to its release a couple of weeks from now so I can play it.

 

[Noema]

Originally posted by: Regs
Just seems like the more the game reveals the more the story becomes corny .

That is the case wiht most games and even movies.

Take Halo for example. The first one was semi-intriguing, with those 'Halos' and the flood and what not.

The second one was a major cheeseball.


The same with Matrix movies. The more they tried to explain, the more ridiculous everything became.

 

[BespinReactorShaft]

Originally posted by: Noema

Originally posted by: Regs
Just seems like the more the game reveals the more the story becomes corny .

That is the case wiht most games and even movies.

Take Halo for example. The first one was semi-intriguing, with those 'Halos' and the flood and what not.

The second one was a major cheeseball.


The same with Matrix movies. The more they tried to explain, the more ridiculous everything became.

To me The X-Files will always be the one that started off this laughable trend. For all I care they're just making things up as they go along. I sometimes wonder at those fanbois who despite all this still attempt to piece the whole sorry mess together into some kind of serious modern-day epic. :laugh:

 

[torpid]

Originally posted by: VIAN
I was reading July's version of PC Gamer magazine and they had a few answered questions, and although they say they had fun (this is only just a hands-on of E1 (Episode 1)), some of the things mentioned did scare me, especially since I already bought the game.

-E1 only answers the question of what happened at the end of HL2, but doesn't answer any of the other questions like:

"Why and how Gordon is being manipulated by the G-man; why Vortigaunts are helping the resistance; what happened to the world between HL and HL2; and the Combine's agenda... at least it poses very few new ones"

I am fairly certain the questions in bold were answered in HL2. Definitely the second one. There are newspapers all over the place and some expositional dialogue in the game that answer the questions.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: VIAN


-E1 only answers the question of what happened at the end of HL2, but doesn't answer any of the other questions like:

"Why and how Gordon is being manipulated by the G-man?"

Letsee . . . let me take a stab at this .. .

*you* are Gordon and *G-man* is Valve . . .

the manipulation is not that hard to understand
($$$)



Without G-man (valve) manipulating Gordon (you), there is No story.


[and isn't Gordon really G-man?]


:Q


i don't think the Creators of HL ever intended a Story . . . or expected its runaway success and a sequel. . . .
. . . i believe they are making it up as they go.
[kinda like the Matrix]

 

[skace]

Originally posted by: torpid
I am fairly certain the questions in bold were answered in HL2. Definitely the second one. There are newspapers all over the place and some expositional dialogue in the game that answer the questions.

Vortigaunts were a previously enslaved race. I believe you helped save them in HL1 and thats why they help you in HL2. They lived on the planet with the giant walking spider thing IIRC.

 

[skace]

Originally posted by: apoppin
[and isn't Gordon really G-man?]

Some fans believe G-man is Gordon from the future, or Gordon's subconcious. Others believe G-man is simply a representative of a future government agency. But we won't really know for sure until they finally start revealing something within the game.

 

[Todd33]

The local anti-HL2 guy VIAN has posted his unbiased version of a magazine article, thanks.

Valve has yet to release a bad game, so this should be another 9/10.

 

[Mavrick007]

If they told you all the answers now, then they'd have to make up a new story.. and that would just be alot of work. It's easier to keep the people entertained with a good game and give just a bit of insight into the story as you go along. Eventually once they've milked it all out, you might find out.. then again, you might not